This research will examine the relationship between prenatal alcohol exposure and asymmetry in dermatoglyphic traits (the system of ridges on the hand). The primary aim is to develop new methods for studying developmental perturbations resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure. The dermatoglyphic system is a sensitive indicator of prenatal alcohol exposure; thus, these traits may prove useful in early diagnosis of fetal alcohol effects (FAE). Quantitative and qualitative dermatoglyphic traits will be read from finger and palm prints from two samples. The first sample consists of 282 individuals diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or fetal alcohol effects (FAE) and 175 unexposed controls. The second sample consists of 410 individuals whose mother's were recruited during prenatal care visits by the 5th month of pregnancy from two Seattle hospitals, and who provided detailed information on the use of alcohol throughout pregnancy. A new statistical method is proposed that quantifies both the ordinary asymmetry found in all bilateral traits and the additional asymmetry associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. Methods will be developed for using dermatoglyphic traits to predict the expression of FAE in exposed individuals. Additionally, we will develop a statistical method to map the effects of alcohol exposure across a spatial gradient of the developing dermal ridge system by estimating spatial correlations in asymmetry among traits. Using an approach based on the gradient of development in the hand, the possibility that the relative timing of alcohol exposure can be detected in the dermatoglyphic system will be explored. This would enable mapping of the periods of development most sensitive to prenatal alcohol exposure.